


Before, During, After, Before (An Olbermann Fall In Several Acts)

by melliyna



Category: Pundit RPF (US)
Genre: Gen, Male-Female Friendship, Timey-Wimey, What The Hell Olbermann
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-02
Updated: 2012-02-02
Packaged: 2017-10-30 12:53:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/331932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melliyna/pseuds/melliyna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Keith Olbermann and his self sabotaging arsehole streak. And how it happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Before, During, After, Before (An Olbermann Fall In Several Acts)

Before.

The night before he'd ridden off in to the sunset of high dudgeon Keith had taken Rachel to their Chinese place. The little Chinese place in an alley near Broadway that he can never remember the name of but makes the best dim sum in the city. It's become their thing, their tradition - Chris has started to join them, Melissa when she's in New York and Gene the same. But they always go on a Friday night. Rachel giggles at his attempts to use chopsticks and he tries to tell her baseball trivia.

His little sister, scuffed converses and all. He'd actually come across her radio show somewhere between the days when he was throwing a tantrum and settling in to Countdown but damn, the first time he hears her? All Keith can think is, damn, she's so much better than me. 

It's not that Keith does not know his own abilities (he does, some would say too much) but he knows his gift is in the populist, the commentary and the quickness of live debates and witty lines. Rachel, Rachel is the in depth story, the wonk who makes it fun and he can see it even now. So he talks to the people on Air America and gets her a booking on the show, way back when.

It's so wonderful he wishes it could go on for hours, because for all she's nervy and a little awkward she's a natural at this and it makes him want to dance and sing and hire her on the spot. 

During.

What he never forgets is that she was there during all of it. During the times where he wasn't sure if TIm was going to be able to protect him this time, when his ego got the better of him or when he was an arse (more than he would like) and when, when it all goes to hell and then some.

What they don't know, what no one knows is that he'd cried, the night he'd heard the joke about his mom. Rachel had held him, distracted him and made sure he punched nothing but the wall and even then she'd bandaged his knuckles and teased him like little sisters do. His other sister, his sister by blood adores Rachel, which makes sense. 

Keith visits Rachel and Susan and meets Poppy and attempts to adjust to not being in the city and laughs when he fails miserably and Susan fetches them tea and scones, something Rachel says she picked up a taste for in Oxford. He thinks he could listen to Rachel think all day and then some still and it doesn't go away.

When she gets her own show he's never been prouder in his life.  
After.

He's looking at who follows Rachel, who she brings in. Chris, Melissa, Ezra. Others like them and he's proud and bitter because she's doing right but she didn't follow him. Even though he didn't ask and has refused to talk to her, he still wants her to follow, not build a base over there.

He wants to be proven right and then some and he wants Rachel back. He wants to meet little Ryan Shaw-Hayes and say hello to Melissa's daughter but he can't bring himself to make the first overture, the first step and yet, he refuses all overtures from them. Refused. They gave up, in the end, after six months. He doesn't know why, even now. Maybe stubbornness and the familiar comfort of righteous burned bridges.

Keith sees Melissa's tweet about Moore and finds, again, he can't apologise. He can't stop the conceit in him and he thinks, damn, Aaron is going to find a quote about the better angels being drowned out here because it's done. Done. Done. 

And this was after the scheduling thing. The thing in which he hurt Rachel and somehow, he can't stop. 

Before.

Before, before he took Rachel to a Chinese restuarant and made no sign.During, after that last broadcast he'd just barged out of the building, leaving his producers to pack things up and ignoring all the calls he'd gotten. He's sick of it. Utterly utterly sick of it but it's like he can't stop himself. 

Before, During, After, Before. Same old song. He'd say he wants to change but he's worn the groove of doing this shit far too well to delude himself. Rachel tries to call, he changes his number.


End file.
